The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1887-11-24
anaessua1 gatsltigenter.
A look BEHIND THE SCENES.

atlaessG1t gntellt9eatfer.
a LOOK BEHIND THE SCENES.
Facts About the Alleged Prosperity of the
North.
PHILADELpH1A, November 13.-There
are no doubt many southerners Who,
reading Northern journals, are moved to
wonder at the glowing accounts of the
prosperity that prevails in this section of
the Union. Many of these read like
fairy tales, and are in fact about as au-
thentic. The golden wand of the cor.
poration magician waves over the waste
places. and long lines of workshops ap-
pear vocal with the hum of industry and
the tramp of the bread-winners; in a
week town springs up, populous with
merchants and swaming with speculators,
while the. neighborhood is speedily en-
riched by the Pactolus of wealth shat
flows from the benefcent union of capital
and labor.
Before giving credence to these Uto-
plan narratives let the Southerner, who
desiderates like conditions for his own
section come to Pennsylvania, and, calm
ly reflective, survey our corrupt civiliza.
ton and delusive progress and he will I
,linkadmit that our grandfathers builded
better than they knew when they made
the South an agricultural community,
where stark manhood was priced higher
than gold, and honor and honesty were
household words.
In Pennsylvania the conditions that
are affecting and changing industrial
enterprise can best be seen, and the
causes that are surely leading to social
revolution studied. The principal inter.
est in this State is the production of iron,
coal and oil. All these are controlled
by corporations 30 wealthy and powerful
that they are enable to create social and
industri-l conditions that would not be
tolerated even in Siberia.
They make laws and enforce or break
them at will. In the interior counties
the small American farmers have been
brought over or "froze out" aud their
place is taken by the most wretched ser.
vile population on earth. These are
nearly all imported laborers, Huns, Poles
and Italians. They are known by mum.
bers and letters, not names; and until
the last year have been the sabiect slaves
of their masters. The philanthropy tbatt
wept over the condition of the'Southern
negro in ate bellum days has no tears for
the white serf, and he is left to an exis.
tence that is at once disgrace and mem
ace to our civilization. Within the last
eighteen months the Rights of Labor
have penetrated this region and organiz-
the coke laborers, and they have become
very mutinous and aggressive, in fact
everything points to an outbreak in the
coal mining districts that will be far more
destructive to the interest of the coal
barons than the strikes of '76'77. In
those gears the Mollie Maguires, an or
ganization of Irish miners, paralyzed
business in the great Lycoming coal dis
trict for two years, setting the State
Government at defiance. They were at
length put down by the armed mercensr-
ies ofthe Reading Railroad. It cost this
corporation S2,000,000 to effect this, and
il was the main cause of its bankruptcy.
It is estimated that the armed men main.
tanned by Pennsylvania companies, and
owing allegiance solely to them, is equal
in force to the army of the United States
and quite as effective. This is prosperity
that We boast of; nor is the industrial
condition in the large towns much better.
The same spirit of unrest and sullen
discontent pervades the labor element.
The daily introduction of labor saving
machinery is doing away with the all
around workman and mechanic. Girls
and boys are taking his place st CORES.
ponding wages. The claim made by
Protectionist pundits that labor. is better
paid under our present tariff system than
before is false and misleading. More
people are employed in our factories
than before, but the average wage is
lower, due to the fact that machine.
tending requires no skill beyond the
capacity of common laborer, and is
adequately performed by women and
boys, who do not average IS a week.
The condition of the Pennsylvania
farmer is bad enough. Twenty miles
fron-this city wheat brings seventy. .six
cents per bushel, and the average crop of
the State is not over ten bushels per acre.
Farm land is cheaper than it was thirty
five years ago, while the extravaganza
that seemed justified by war imitation has
left its mark in judgments and mort
cages. In addition to this our farming
community seems to fall into the hands
ofswindlers with facile readiness, despite
their alleged intelligence and shrewdness.
The Bohemian oat swindle has well.njgh
bankrupted the Cumberland Valley, and
the northern part of the State invested
not less than $12, 1000, 900 in Kansas farm
mortgage, paying 10 per cent interest, of
which not 10 per cent of principal will
ever be realized, and I am disposed to
believe the dictum of country banker
that about every seven years these hard
handed sons oftoil go stark mad and give
themselves into the hands of the apoiler.
In regard to future, my own judgment
is concurrent with chat of most prudent,
sensible commercial men, whom have
consulted and that is coming disaster,
widespread and lasting. The present